Well... except you do see it (#2) so...I dont know, guess Im not a fan of mismatched siding . On the other hand I know it can be very hard to match brick and the difference can be noticeable. Its like when people install a new wood floor next to their old vintage one - even if species/color the same, it still doesnt really match. So is that really a restoration... or something else? If theres additions to a house, often its recommended to not try to get too matchy-matchy, because you simply cant match the new materials to the old. I

All things considered, your idea for using old growth cedar sounds intriguing.... esp if you can get just the right shade of red/brown which harmonizes well with the brick. It cant be exactly matched because.... well, matched to what? Its brick and its wood, and they are just different materials.

]Afraid I dont know house style - in a way it kinda looks like a missing link between an earlier tudoresque style w/ atouch of bungaloid..... and something more modern and simplified/streamlined.

Im a big help arent I? Hope someone w/ brick expertise weighs in - wonder if you were to determine source of brick might they still be making them? And if so is that a viable option.

Thanks Current Resident and klem1. @klem1, didn't title the last image caption propertly - you're right, I wouldn't replace shiplap siding, just windows. I'm intrigued by your stucco pattern with battens at seams idea - Feel free to share specific images that would illustrate the color or design in particular (googling it myself as well currently).

Where is the old brick? That might be more important than you realize.

@klem1 the seller has some in storage - not all of it is available though. I'd guess we have more than half of the brick as an estimate.

I've never heard of brick "failing" before; what caused it?

You could use stucco for that side and build a 2nd floor decking with a patio underneath , and change 1 window to a French door that opens to 2nd floor decking.......

Remuddle. Restore instead. .

If the windows are original you can't do better than to restore them. If they aren't original and are poor replacements then do look into historically accurate wood windows. Are there other houses in the area that are original so you can get a better idea of what would be appropriate?

"@klem1 the seller has some in storage - not all of it is available though. I'd guess we have more than half of the brick as an estimate."

I'm glad to hear that. Regardless what you decide,useing even a few originals can help immensely with tying new to old. The origoinals can be combined with new brick if you decide to rebrick that side of house. If I were re-bricking,I would stop brick at top of porch and/or near second story floor level then fill the remainder with siding. That will save significant cost,look better and be more duriable. I'm sure restoration advocates disagree but unless they or the natl historical society underwrite's part of the expense,I'd do as I please. I want to say something about cedar. I like it and believe it would please me in this case. However,you should be aware that cedar will not retain original color and is a lot of trouble to maintain with stain. So much trouble that 90% of people give up within 5 years and paint it or alow it to turn weathered gray.

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Keep it coming it's much appreciated :-)

@gracie01 brick veneer (not structural), if old and moisture gets in, can falter and fall.

@summersrhythm_z6a I've been thinking of stucco - what color do you think would work well with the brick?

@Raye Smith 2 of the windows are original wood - thanks to your suggestion, I'm going to try and restore those 2 and invest in wood windows for the replacements:-).

@klem1 I'm a big fan of your suggestion. May investigate how much one of those options would cost. You got me thinking though...I will definitely salvage this brick, and could even make a handrail or small deck along the side of the house with it as well to tie it together. Very good ideas thank you klem1!

Does anyone know of what type of gutters would be appropriate for a roof that pitches all water to the corners like this? Thank you!

Half-round gutters are typical, still in production and you could do them in copper.

I'd throw some T-1-11 on there and keep it painted until I could afford to brick it properly.

What do the local masons say about matching the brick? If you can find matching brick, buy it. Even if you can't afford to have the work done at this time, having the correct material in storage will make it possible later.

I have a brick house of that era which had a failing chimney. I had three guys look at the job. Two of them said the brick isn't going to match but I'll do the job. The third guy said I won't do the job because I can't get matching brick and you aren't going to be happy with the result and I wont be putting my name on that. The third guy came back a few days later with the idea to clad the chimney with stone approximately matching the entryway which is halfway across the house. I went with the stone idea and it looks quite nice.

I don't like fill ins with different brick. I would rather see you use the existing brick and whatever the seller has available to brick the main floor and use substitute siding above, if matching brick isn't available.

@gracie01 brick veneer (not structural), if old and moisture gets in, can falter and fall.

It's not the brick that fails, it's the wall ties holding the brick to the backing material, either wood or metal framing or another brick or stone wythe that fails.

In some cases, through negligence or ignorance there may not even be ties!

Brick veneer is largely a 20th C. phenomena, with the first documented use occurring in 1899. As the metal ties rust away, support is lost and the veneer moves. In only one municipality I've built in, were longer-lived stainless ties required. Otherwise there were no requirements re ties. If the mason were supplying ties, count on the cheapest and flimsiest available. In the house we're currently living in, the masons used nails to tie the brick to the structural block. Where the back of the block is visible in the garage, around the end of each nail a quarter sized section of block has fallen off as the nail rusted. The house will be demolished by the next buyer, so there's no concern.

I've got an update!

The siding job has now been completed with cedar. I've summarized the entire project here with pictures:

http://vagabuilding.com/replacing-a-brick-wall-with-cedar-siding/

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I'm now working on remodeling the basement, and have another houzz thread I'd love to get your feedback on again if you have time: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/ideas-needed-egress-basement-windows-for-1929-brick-home-dsvw-vd~5268990

Thanks again. This community has been amazing :-).

Cheers,
Drew